A few miles away, Neia determines that we have traveled far enough and begins to set up camp. Sitting down on some of my furs, I wait patiently for Neia to explain her plan. After she starts the fire she begins to speak. “We have several options. Our first option is to leave Lee here and have Ruven and I deal with the goblins. Our second option is to alert them, having them chase us out of their camp and then we can try to pick them off, that way we won't be facing all of them at once.” Beginning to smile she looks at Lee. “Our last option is to get you some magic.”

Ruven frowns, knowing exactly what the plan is. “He doesn’t know what you are offering him.”

Neia looks at Ruven and her smile fades. Glancing back toward Lee she explains. “Normally, when you have your affinities tested, it is done at the Consortium of Magical Scholars. They will test your affinities and then send you on your way.” Giving a side eye glare towards Ruven. “But what they don’t do is introduce mana into you as they do it. Doing so with a skill called Mana Infusion. If done this way, the mage using Mana Infusion can bestow the elemental affinity being infused onto the person.”

Lee understands where this is going. He is nowhere near the Consortium of Magical Scholars. He is in the middle of the forest. What he doesn’t understand is why anybody would go to them if they could gain a free affinity. “What’s the downside to this Mana Infusion method? It sounds too good to be true.”

Ruven explains before Neia can honey her words. “It hurts like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. Less than three percent of people willingly go through with the Mana Infusion method. In the end, one extra basic affinity is not worth the pain.”

Lee still doesn’t understand something. “Why can’t you just test my affinities normally?”

“At the Consortium of Magical Scholars, they have multiple mage scholars present, each testing for an affinity, having a single person test for them all at the same time is normally impossible.” Neia says. She then continues saying. “The reason the Mana Infusion method works is because they will be penetrating you with their own mana. Which is where the pain comes from. Giving them enough total mana present and replenishing to test all affinities. As well as basically forcing your mana to accept the mana being infused.”

Understanding this part Lee moves onto his next question, directed at Ruven. “And is this pain worth an affinity?” Ruven sighs. “Normally no, it would not be worth it to gain an extra basic affinity, but I believe Neia is not offering you a basic affinity.”

Neia affirms. “Ruvan is correct, I am not offering you a basic affinity, affinities are listed from basic, advanced, expert, and master. I am offering you my expert affinity.” Lee then asks. “How rare is this affinity? And why would you offer it to me?”

“It is a combination of two advanced elements, and those are made up of three basic elements. It’s called Glacial. The pairings of Air and Water to make Cold, as well as Water and Dark to make Ice, take Ice and Cold to get Glacial. This means you will automatically have those elements as well.” Getting serious she then says. “I will offer this to you in return for you doing something for me in return.”

She better not be asking me to slay some dragon… I should also probably figure out if those exist. “What is it that you need me to do?” Lee questions. Neia relaxes a bit and smiles. “All I would require of you, is that for the rest of your life, you will tell anybody who asks that you were mana infused by Dark Elf Neia Sindris of Neldam in Shadowgrove Forest.”

Well, at least I know her full name and where we are, but that’s it? Some super rare elemental affinity for some pain and telling people where I got it from? “What are the effects of this affinity?” Lee tries to get some more information about the Glacial affinity.

Nodding Neia responds. “It depends on which spells you learn or create, but typically, it is the feeling of stillness, a feeling so cold that nothing can move.”

“Is there a way to get advanced and expert affinities by moving up from basic?” Lee asks, feeling more and more questions come as others are answered.

Neia laughs and answers. “There are only two ways of getting affinities past basic, the first is Mana Infusion, and the second is experimentation and practice.” Smiling now she stands. “It took me over three-hundred years to make Glacial. So, by accepting my terms you will be obtaining Air, Water, Dark, Cold, Ice, and Glacial. Do you accept?” Neia extends her hands out, palms up.

Looking over towards Ruven, he has a blank expression and is looking into the forests, the way the goblin camp is. Figuring that if he went through cancer he can handle some pain. “I accept.” He stands and grabs her hands.

He was not warned.

It felt like he had died once again, instantaneously flash frozen. You couldn’t even call this cold, it had a whole other word behind it that Lee wasn’t aware of. You could feel the invasiveness of the biting cold, seeping slowly into his stiffening muscles and reaching his bones. He couldn’t even scream, his throat was frozen. Everything was so still that he couldn’t even feel time pass, it could have been 1 millisecond, or 1 year. Suddenly one word popped into his head. Eternity.

Then he crumpled. Collapsing to the ground like a puppet with his strings cut. Staring wide eyed at whatever was currently in front of him. Which was currently a pair of feet.

Ruven, feeling pity for the boy, picked him up and wrapped the warmed furs from the fire around him. Taking him to the actual fire he began to speak. “I am sorry. It was better for you to be unprepared. Nothing prepares you for that. Most people get an extra basic, but you went straight to an expert.” Ruven sat down on the ground next to Lee. “Go to sleep. If the goblins come in the night they will die before they reach you. By my word.” Ruven places his thumbs and pinkies together and then presses his thumbs to his forehead for around three seconds. Lee passed out.

It was morning by the time Lee awoke, nobody waking him for once. Slowly he sat up, looking at all the furs and not remembering how he fell asleep. Glancing around he sees Ruven bringing over some more logs for the fire and Neia asleep. “Give her a few more minutes, she had it pretty rough as well.” Ruvan softly says.

Had it rough? “What do you mean? Did something happen?” Lee asks, feeling some concern for her. Ruven instead casually asks “You don’t remember?” Lee, now slightly concerned for himself, replies. “No, the last thing I remember is…” Eternity. He remembers now. Collapsing back into his furs he stares at Ruven once more in shock.

Ruven shakes his head in pity. “It will pass, just lay there for a moment and watch me. Distract yourself.” Ruven brings over another fur and places it next to Lee, then grabs some meat and begins to cook it over the fire. He must have gone hunting this morning. Lee who is already feeling slightly better, asks. “Will she be okay? If it was anything like I went through she will need some therapy.” Lee chuckles to himself.

“I’m fine.” Neia responds rolling over to face the fire. “Was just a bit tired. Do you want me to tell you the good news or the bad news?” She asks Lee. Well, nothing like bad news first thing in the morning. “Bad news first then the good news.” Neia yawns and says. “Bad news, You don't have Fire affinity, so say goodbye to starting any with magic.” Slowly smiling. “Good news, you got Earth and Light. Five out of the six basics is great. An average mage has three or four.”

Happy with the news. “So, how do I actually make a spell?”

Neia, still smiling, begins to sit up and says, “You have Mana Sense so you must try to sense the type of mana you want and then try to make it move. The more complex the mana, the more the spell will cost. I would start with a basic element for now. Go ahead and give it a try.”

Thinking of what element he wanted to use, he decided on water. Trying to think back on spells he knew from earth, the most he could come up with was Fireball and Magic Missile. Realizing that those are not even options, as he didn’t have Fire affinity, and he didn’t even know what Magic Missile was really, he chose to make a very simple spell. Focusing on that feeling of naturalness he got from the mana-infused jackalope pelt within himself, he began to sense other feelings emanating from his mana. He began searching for a feeling that spoke to him as being water. Soon he found it, feeling wet. Zeroing in on that feeling of wetness, he tried to make it simply appear, pushing that mana out of his hand.

Above Lee’s palm a small spout of water appears, for a few moments he is stunned. I just did magic. Real magic. Giddy like a child on Christmas he looked over and saw Neia laughing and congratulating him. He willed the magic to stop. “How long does it take for mana to regenerate?” Neia, grabbing herself some breakfast, answered. ”You get your wisdom and intelligence added together every half hour.” Doing some quick math, with his eleven wisdom and thirteen intelligence, he should gain forty-eight mana an hour. Almost one every minute.

"Do you have any tips for a combat spell?” Lee can’t think of anything small, the only things popping in his head are meteors and blizzards. “Try throwing a rock.” Ruven shrugs.

At first Lee was going to retort, thinking he was getting bad mouthed, but realized that throwing a rock probably wouldn't be too bad. Focusing back into his mana pool. He begins searching for Earth mana, and he finds it quickly, the feeling of dirt and stones. Focusing his mana outwards, now much easier thanks to his new skill Mana Manipulation, he begins to feel the earth around him, trying to scoop out a chunk out of the ground.

A small baseball-sized chunk of earth shoots off from the ground at the speed of a hundred miles per hour and smacks into a nearby tree. A loud thump is heard as the ball of rocky earth explodes on contact with the bark.

Clapping, Neia congratulates him. “You’re a natural. It took me a few tries to create my first spell. Don’t rely on your magic to always save you though, I've seen what happens to those who run out of mana when they can't afford too.” Standing up and killing the fire. “Now eat so we can leave to go kill some goblins.”